Training for Life: Adventure Race Preparations

It was a great day in Niagara for the four person team training for Storm the Trent—an adventure race that involves trail running, mountain biking and canoeing. Today the team of four was in intense training mode. The team is called “Mom R we there yet?” and is made up of two mothers and their 14 year old sons: Karen, Ben, Caleb and myself. Today we had a taste of all three sports spread throughout the day and we are hopeful that we will survive this event, only a mere three weeks away on May 14th! Today was our first time out on the water in the canoe, so it was an important test for us. We managed to canoe approximately 4km around Martindale Pond, almost half of the 9 kilometers that we will have to do on race day.

This is such an exciting event to be doing as team. The adventure involves challenging ourselves physically – we will be engaging in three sports, only one of which we are all comfortable with (trail running). The next challenge is to work well together as a team throughout the whole experience. There will be times to be light-hearted and joke around (Ben and Caleb have this down!) and then there will be times to be supportive and serious, such as when someone is having difficulty with an element of the race. Learning when to goof off and when to be quiet may take some practice for the 14 year old boys!

In most races, going hard and being the fastest is the goal. In this team event, however, being being the fastest solo athlete is not the mission. Our objective is to be a cohesive team and do the best we can all together. We are not going for speed records here (at least not this year!). Throughout the race we all need to be within 100m of each other at all times. The team element is so vital for the success of the event that there are five core principles clearly stated for all teams to adhere to:

I do not leave my teammates behind me

I keep my teammates within visible sight at all times

I look after my teammates, and expect them to do the same for me

My teammates and I form a unit – we do not move faster if we separate

If for any reason one of my teammates cannot continue, I will stay with them until they are safely off the course

Getting all set to go…(no issues here!)

Beautiful day out on the water!

Which way does the paddle go?

“The whole is always greater than the sum of its parts” – our goal as a team made up of friends and family is to work together, utilizing all of our collective talents and abilities to build each other up and keep motivated for the duration of the 42km biking, 9km running and 9km canoeing!

Easily done!

Caleb-

This is insane and I love it! Being a part of an event like this is going to be something I tell my kids to prove how sprightly and crazy I was “back in the day”. Not to say that this event won’t be challenging, but I strongly believe that we are going to have some real fun completing it – the “I’m dying, make it stop” kind of fun. The thing I’m most mortified of is having two triathlete mothers (especially the ever intense Janine) preforming alongside Ben and myself; if the race doesn’t kill us, they just might! On the flip side, I’m really looking forward to the mountain biking aspect, speeding down a single track trail with my cross bike and huffing up hills is my idea of fun. It’s a bit out of my comport zone but then again, if it wasn’t, what would be the point of doing it in the first place? On the whole, I’m going to be incredibly happy to preform in this race, but I think I’ll also be incredibly happy to cross the finish line and then take a nap. (Also, “Hi mom! I’m on your blog!”)

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About Janine Moffett

I am a mother of three incredible children, work full time as an instructor therapist, and love to run. I have run 11 marathons, with a personal best of 2:57. This past April I ran my third Boston Marathon. I love challenges and began exploring the world of triathlons in 2014. I completed my first half Ironman at Muskoka in fall 2014 and came first in my age group. Now I am taking on the challenge of a Full Ironman, which I am planning for September, 2015.
I believe we need to keep trying new things and embrace life to the fullest. I hope I can provide inspiration and insights to others.

2 Comments

hey there Janine! sounds like a great adventure and experience….your whole team will do great as you are all very athletic! thanks for your encouragement and inspiration on those tough hills on our cycling trip on the weekend!